This invention pertains generally to valve operators and more particularly a valve operating system for actuating hydraulic or pneumatic valves such as the control valves of an articulating crane or loading apparatus.
Hydraulically operated cranes and lifting devices generally have one or more manually operated valves for controlling the application of pressurized fluid to operating cylinders to control boom functions such as rotation, extension and lift. The valves are generally located in a fixed position on the crane or loader or on a truck or other vehicle on which the crane or loader is mounted, and the operating handles or levers for the valves are commonly arranged in a group near the valves. In the past there have been attempts to provide remote controls for such valves in order to permit the operator to move about and be near the load, rather than remaining at the valves. Such systems have been relatively complex and have generally required a separate motor or actuator for each valve.